Folding chair



1939- H. P. NORDMARK FOLDING CHAIR Filed Jan. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. amarZQ A TTORNEYS.

Henry p 19% 0d. 24, 1939. p, NORDMARK 2,177,186

. FOLDING CHAIR Filed Jan. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 ll} I l .15 Wixess 29 J4 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING CHAIR Henry P. 'Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., as-

signor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of New Jersey Application January 27, 1937, Serial No. 122,494

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-142) The present invention relates to folding chairs triangularly formed in cross section from sheet and more'parti'cularly to folding chairs of metal meta-l stock to give it strength and rigidity at construction of the general character shown in light weight, the longitudinal edges of the metal my copending application, Serial No. 121,461, filed stock being flanged inwardly to form a finished January 21, 1937. and reinforcing seam l4. 5

The primary objects of the instant invention A pair of tubular metal spaced rear legs l5 are to provide a chair of the general character formed in .a manner like that of the frame I0 above set forth which is rugged and sturdy in conare each provided at their upper ends with a struction; to provide such a chair which may be cap l6 secured thereto by means of a rivet ll readily and conveniently folded and unfolded; to passing through the seam of the leg and through 10 provide such a chair whose seat may be folded the opposite wall thereof. This cap is provided upwardly independently of the folding of the with a pair of spaced integrally formed forwardly chair supporting legs; to provide such a chair projecting arms l8 which arms embrace the oppohaving an arched reinforcing web secured intersite sides of each front leg I3 of the frame and jacent the front legs of the chair and providing to which the arms are pivotally secured as y a 15 leg room for an occupant of the chair when tiltpin I9 passing through the seam of each front ing the seat upwardly upon arising from the seat; leg and through the pp Wa l t ereof in the and, to provide such a chair which is economical manner best shown in Figures '7 and 8. in manufacture, pleasing in'appearance and utili- A reinforcing member for the spaced rear 20 tarian in use, legs 15 :is U-shaped in form and is secured at its 20 An illustrative embodiment of the invention 'is opposite ends interjacent the inner sides of the shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein: rear legs l5 in inverted position as by rivets 2| Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the chair which pass through the respective seams of each in its unfolded position; rear leg and through the opposite wall of each Figure 2 is a vertical central sectional View ea leg. A second reinforcing member 22 for 25 thereof on line 2-2 of Figure l; the spaced rear legs is likewise Lil-shaped in form Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of and is secured at its opposite ends interjacent the the link connected front and rear folding legs inner sides of the rear legs I5 between each rear of the chair in the unfolded position of the legs; leg andaseat supporting bracket 23 as by spaced Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showrivets 24 passing through the seam of each rear 30 ing the link connected front and rear legs of the leg a d t u the pp Wall Of each real chain in the folded position of the legs from their e t middle portions 25 0f the P partly folded position indicated in dotted lines; reinforcing member 22 a d 0f the inverted U- Figure 5 is a sectional view thereof on line 5-5 shaped reinforcing member 29 being secured toof Figure 3; gether in any suitable manner as by spot welding. 35 Figure 6 is another sectional view on line 6-6 A pair of slotted links 26, each piv a y secured of Figure 3; to the forwardly projecting portion of the seat Figure 7 is a view of one of the front and rear supp g brackets 23 as by a pin 27 are each legs of the chair in their folded position and on p ov With a cam portion 23 j e e ree 40 line 1-! of Figure 8; end of each link and a strut 29 is secured inter- 40 Figure sis a'view thereof on line 8-8 of Figure i n h front legs 3 of he chair n p sin 7; d through the slot 30 of each .link 26.

Figure 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of A tie 3| is secured interjacent the free ends Figure 3. of each link 26 for effecting the folding move- Referring to the drawings in which like parts ment of the front legs I3 of the chair relative to 45 of the construction shown are designated by the the rear legs t5-the1e0f during the Swinging o esam numer ls in the sev l i ws, the folding ment of the tie 3| and a seat 32 pivotally secured chair generally comprises a U-shaped metal o e seat Supporting bracket l' ee t frame In forming a support for a curved back ll d brackets and adjacent the pp ear which is preferably of sheet metal The back is corners of the seat by the upper rivets 24, is inde- 50 positioned below the horizontally disposed medial pendently tiltable and is provided'with outwardly portion .l-2 of the frame to which it is suitably flanged elements 33 on its opposite sides each secured and to its oppositely disposed spaced adapted to engage the cam portion 28 of a slotted parallel portions which form spaced front legs link v26 during the downward swinging movement 13/. The frame II] .is here shown as tubular and of the seat 32 for unfolding the front and rear legs 55 of the chair. Thus, as the seat 32 is lowered from its folded position shown in full lines in Figure 4 to its unfolded position shown in Figures 2 and 3, the seat first contacts the tie 3 l, which tie is thus caused to progress forwardly with respect to the seat until the elements 33 contact the forward surfaces of cams 28. Further lowering of the seat causes the elements 33 to bear against first the forward surfaces of cams 28, and next the rearward surfaces of these cams, and finally against the flat upper surfaces of the links 26 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, thereby effecting unfolding of the front and rear legs of the chair. The elements 33 finally rest on links 26 to thus support the seat, and the seat may also rest upon the curled upper edge of the Web 34 to thus be further supported by thestrut 29,

A reinforcing web 34 Whose lower edge is archedand curled to form a tubular lower edge portion and whose upper edge is curled over the strut 29 is secured at its lower corners to the'front legs of the chair frame by means of a rivet 35 at each end passing through the seam of each front leg and through the opposite wall of each front leg to provide leg room for an occupant of the chair when tilting the seat 32 upwardly upon arising from his previously occupied seat andnoiseless feet caps 36 or rubber or the like are preferably provided for all legs of the chair.

Thus it is seen that in the upward swinging movement of the slotted links 26, the strut 29- progresses to the lower end of slots 30 as seen in Figure 4. 'I'hereupon farther swinging movement of the links takes place about strut '29 asa pivot, the lower ends of slots 30 serving as bearings for strut 29. Slots 30, strut 29, pins l9, and pins 2! are so arranged on each side of the chair that the fixed distance from pin 21 to the bottom of slot 30 plus the fixed distance from the strut 29 to pin I9 is slightly greater than the normal distance.

from pin 21 to pin l 9. By this arrangement, when strut 29 moves into a line between pins 21 and !9, these pins are forced slightly apart. When strut 29 passes to the left of the line, the reactionary retracting of the pins tends tomove the strut, front legs 13, links 26, tie 3i and seat 32 rearwardly toward rear legs l5. movement is checked by the contact of seat 32 against the curved back l l, so that the chair legs and seat are tensionally held in folded position; The upwardly turned portion of the slot 38 of each link 25 seats on the strut 29 when the chair is in its unfolded position, as best shown in Figure 3, preventing the legs from becoming folded together when an occupant ofthe seat lifts the same when arising therefrom. Since the slots are disposed at an angle, weight of an occupant upon the seat when the legs of the chair are in partly folded position, causes the legs to completely unfold.

It will thus be seen that the folding chair here-' 1. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of This rearward i 2. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of spaced rear legs pivotally secured to the frame, a pair of slotted links each pivotally secured to a rear leg of the chair and forming seat supports, a strut secured interjacent the front legs of the chair and passing through the slot of each link, a tie secured interjacent the free ends of each link for effecting the folding movement of the' front legs of the chair relative to the rear legs thereof during the swinging movement of the tie,

a seat pivotally secured between the rear legs of.

the chair, and means on said seat resting on said links in the lowered position of the seat. 7

3. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of spaced rear legs pivotally secured to the frame, a pair of slotted links each pivotally secured to a rear leg of the chair and having a cam portion adjacent the free end thereof, a strut secured interjacent the front legs of the chair and passing through the slot of each link, a tie secured interjacent the free ends of each link for effecting the folding movement of the front legs of the chair relative to the rear legs thereof during the swinging movement of the tie, a seat pivotally secured between the rear legs of the chair and having means thereon adapted to engage the cam portion of each slotted link during a portion of the downward swinging movement of the seat for unfolding the chair, said means resting on the links in the lowered position of the seat.

4. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of spaced rear legs pivotally secured to the frame, a pair of slotted links each pivotally secured to a rear leg of the chair and having a cam portion adjacent the free end. thereof, a strut secured interjacent the front legs of the chair and passing through the slot of each link, a tie secured interjacent the free ends of each link for effecting the folding movement of the front legs of the chair relative to the rear legs thereof during the swinging movement of the tie, a seat pivotally secured between the rear legs of the chair and provided with outwardly flanged elements on its opposite sides adapted to engage the cam portion of each slotted link during a portion of the downward swinging movement of theseat'for unfolding the chair, said outwardly flanged elements resting on the links in the lowered position of the seat.

5. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of spaced rear legs pivotally secured to the frame, a pair of slotted links each pivotally secured to a rear leg of the chair and forming seat supports,

a strut secured interjacent the front legs of the chair and passing through the slot of each link, a tie secured interjacent the free ends of each link for effecting the folding movement of the front legs of the chair relative to the rear legs thereof during the swinging movement of the tie, a seat pivotally secured between the rear legs of the chair, a reinforcing web secured interjacent the front e of the hair, the lower edge of said web being arched to provide leg room for an occupant of the chair when tilting the seat upwardly upon arising from the seat, and means on said seat resting on said links in the lowered position of the seat.

6. A folding chair comprising a frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, a pair of tied spaced rear legs pivotally secured to the frame, a seat pivotally secured between the rear legs, a

10 slotted link pivotally secured to a rear leg, a strut secured to the frame and projecting through the slot, the fixed distance from the link pivot to the bottom of the slot plus the fixed distance from the strut to the rear leg pivot being slightly greater than the normal distance from the link pivot to the rear leg pivot for tensionally locking the chair in folded position and means on said seat resting on said links in the lowered position of the seat.

HENRY P. NORDMARK. 

